Color-printing machine.



No. 836,484,. PATENTED NOV. 20', 1906. c. L. BURDIOK.

COLOR PRINTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23, 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Will-leases: .IT1VEI1TDD W M W Charles LBUI'diEK- Atinr'neg THE NORRIS PrrtR: co..'vlAsnmaroN, n. c

No. 886,484. PATENTED NOV. 20, 1906. O. L. BURDIOK.

OOLOR PRINTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FIL'BD FEB. 23, 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Wfl'nsssea: Inv anTur" W ZU, W Charles Lfiurdick. 13 %w/ Aiiurnqg THE mum's PETERS cc. wxsnmawu, n. g;

No. 836,484. I PATENTED NOV. 20, 1906.

0 L. BURDIGK.

001 011 PRINTING MACHINE.

Arrmouloiz mum FEB. 2a, 1905.

4 sums-sum s.

Ariurnau No. 836,484. PATENTE'D N037. 20, 1906.

0. L. BURDIGK.

I COLOR PRINTING MACHINE.

APPLIOATIOKFILED FEB. 23, 1905.

WiIne 5525': I Inv 21mm W W W Eharies Lfiurdick Attur'nau 1m: mamas PETERS 00., WASHINGTON, n. c.

CHARLES LAURENCE BURDIOK, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

COLOR-PRINTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 20, 1906.

Ap lication fil d February 23, 1905. Serial No. 246,967.

To (all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES LAURENCE BURDIOK, a citizen of the United States, residing at London, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Color-Printing Machines, (Case No. 6,) of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to printing-machines, and particularly to machines in which sprayers are adapted for directing coloring-matter thrpiugh stencils and to the objects to be colore The object of my invention is to provide improved automatic means for carrying the objects through the field of the sprayers and for causing the operation of suitably-placed sprayers at the proper time for applying coloring-matter to the objects.

Generally speaking, my im roved machine consists of an endless perio ically-traveling belt provided with mechanism for automatically clamping and releasing the objects on the belt. Cam mechanism is so adjusted with relation to the travel of the belt as to cause a stencil to be brought into position against the objects and when said stencil is in position to cause the sprayers to pass back and forth over the stencil, at the same time applying coloring-matter. After this coloring operation the stencil is released from the objects and the belt advanced to deliver the colored object to a receptacle and to feed an uncolored object or objects below the stencil, whereupon the same coloring operation is repeated.

ings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation view of one side of I the machine. Fig. 2 is an elevation view of an end of the machine. Fig. 3 is a detached view showing the position of the sprayers with relation to the stencil- Fig. 4 is a detached top view of the endless belt and of the mechanism for driving the belt and for clamping objects thereon. Fig. 5 is a side view of the belt mounted on rollers. Fig. 6 is an elevation of the other side of the machine, showing the mechanism for actuating the sprayer-supporting frame, the sprayer mechanism and the endless-belt mechanism being removed; and Fig. 7 is a detached detailed view of the endless-belt-driving mechanism.

Like reference characters refer to like parts of the various figures.

A supporting frame or late 1 is mounted on legs 2 2, between w ich extend crosspieces or supporting members 3 4 for supporting the driving and cam-actuating mechanism. At one end of the cross member 3 is a bearing 5, in which is journaled a shaft 6, supporting a drive-wheel 7 and a pulley 8. a drive-belt 9 engaging the drivewheel. belt 10 connects the pulley 8 with apulley 11, secured to the shaft 12, which is journaled in a bearing 13, vertically adjustable within a slot 14 through the slide-frame 15. Secured also to the shaft 12 is a circular cam 16, having an eccentric portion 17, as shown. A slide-rod 18 slides through a groove 18, extending through the slide-frame, and at its lower end terminates in a cam-roller 17 for engaging with the eccentric portion of the cam. A spring 19, secured to'the supporting-frame and the slide-rod, tends to hold the rod in an upper position, which upper position, however, is controlled by the stop 20 for engaging the slide-frame 15. At the upper end of the rod are clamping-jaws 21, between which a stencil 22 is clamped by the thumb-screws 23. Thus upon rotation of the cam 16 the rod 18 and the stencil 22, carried thereby, are vertically reciprocated for the purpose which will appear hereinafter.

A second slide-arm 24 is adapted to slide in the groove 25, extending through the slideframe 15, and at its lower end terminates in a cam-roller 26 for engaging both the eccentric and concentric portions of the cam 16. A tension-spring 27 connects between the rod -24and the supporting-frame 1. The upper end of the rod 24 terminates in a slotted bear ing 28, engaging a crank-pin 29, secured to a The gear 30, pivoted at 31 to the supporting plate 1. The. supporting-plate is provided with a longitudinal opening 32, and the rollers 33 and 34 are secured to shafts 35 and 36, respectively, journaled in the opening-32, one at each end thereof, and these rollers serve to carry an endless belt 37.. Secured to one end of the shaft is a ratchet-wheel 38g engaged by a pawl 39, secured to a disk 40;, which disk is adapted to travel looselyon the shaft 35 with the gear-wheel 41, this gearwheel being in mesh with a small idler-pinion 42, which is also in mesh with the drivewheel 30. As the main cam 16 is actuated to allow the spring 27 to carry the slide-rod 24 upwardly the drive-wheel 30- will be rotated in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 7, and this motion will be transmitted through the small idler-pinion 42 and to the pinion 41 on the roller-shaft 35, which will be rotated in the same direction as the drivewheel 30. With this direction of rotation of the gear 41 the pawl 39 is disposed to transmit this rotation to the pawl-disk, and consequently the roller-shaft and the endless belt are driven. As the slide-rod 24 is lowered by the main cam 16 the rotation of the various gears and pinions will be reversed and the pawl will be out of driving connection with the pinion 41 and the belt will be immovable. The shaft 35 is also provided with a belt-pulley 43, engaged by a belt 44, passing over a pulley 45, secured to a shaft 46, carrying the roller 47, and a conveyer belt 48 asses over the roller 47 and a plurality of other similar rollers to convey objects from the endless belt to a receptacle 49 at the end of the supporting-frame 1.

The endless belt consists of link sections or bars 50, connected together by connectingclips 51, which may be of metal or other material, and the belt may be encircled by bands 52 of felt or other soft material, upon which the objects 53 to be colored may rest. At suitable intervals on the endless belt are transverse shafts 54, mounted in bearings 55, and the ends of the shafts terminate in crankarms 56, provided at their end with camrollers 57. A spring 58 encircles each shaft and is connected thereto and to one of its bearin s and tending to rotate the shaft to hold t e cam-rollers downwardly. Clamping clips or fingers 59 are secured to the shaft for engaging the objects to be colored and for holding them securely against the endless belt. At either side of the belt and secured to the supporting-frame are plates 60, provided at one end with camways 61 and at their other end with camways 62, disposed in the path of the cam-rollers 57, and upon travel of the belt these camways engage the cam-rollers to cause a momentary rotation of the shafts, whereby the clamping-fingers 59 are rotated to release the object. At the end of the endless belt opposite to the con veying-belt may be disposed a guideway 63, from which objects are fed to the endless belt.

I shall now describe the sprayer mechanism and the means for causing actuation.

thereof. porting-frame 1 at each side of the stencil.

Extending upwardly from the supare standards 64, in which a rack-bar 65 may reciprocate. This rack-bar is engaged by a gear-wheel 66, secured to a shaft 67 j ournaled in'bearings 68, secured to the supportingframe, said shaft carrying also a sprocketwheel 69. The main cam-shaft 12 is journaled also in a bearing 70, having vertical adjustment withina slot 71 in the cross supporting-frame 4. This end of the shaft is provided with a cam 72, adapted for engagewheel 69 on the shaft 67 and terminates in a tension-spring 77, secured at 78 to the sup porting-frame 1. Upon rotation of the cam 72 the arm 74 is lowered to cause rotation of the sprocket-wheel 76 and a consequent downward pull on the chain 77, whereby the sprocket-wheel 69 and shaft 67, carrying the rack-bar and driving-gear 66, are also rotated to cause a longitudinal movement of the raclcbar, the spring 77 serving to return the sprocket-wheel and rack-bar to their normal position upon release of the arm 74 from the cam 72. Secured to the traveling rack-bar are supporting-arms, of which there may be any number, only one, however, being here shown, and this supporting-arm 79 may serve to support any number of sprayers, only two sprayers 81 and 82, however, being here shown. The sprayer 81 is secured to an arm 83, adjustably hinged to the supportingarm 79, while the sprayer 82 is secured to the arm 84, adjustably hinged to the supporting arm 79, and thus the sprayers may be directed either vertically or at any angle toward the stencil and the object thereunder. Each sprayer is provided with a valve-arm 85, pivoted thereto, having adjustable engagement with the valve-stem 86, the free end of the valve-levers of the sprayers 81 and 82 being provided with cam-rollers 87 and 88, respectively. Adjustably secured to the supporting-frame or to the rack-bar standards, as shown, are arms 89 and 90, the arms 89 being hinged at 91, while the arms 90 are hinged to the ends of supporting-arms 92,

having adjustable engagement with verticall'y-adjustable posts 93. The arms 89 at their free ends support a cam-way 94, while the arms 90 at their free ends support a camway 95, these camways being disposed to engage, respectively, the rollers 87 and 88 of the sprayers 81 and 82 upon reciprocation of the rack-bar supporting the sprayers, the valve-arms of the sprayers being lifted to raise the valve-spindles, and thus to cause activity of the sprayers. Compressed air may be fed to the sprayers through the piping 96, connected with a source not shown, while the coloring-matter is led to the sprayers through the piping 97 from the supplytanks 98, mounted in any convenient position.

This machine is particularly designed for printing objects such as cards, tiles, or blocks having raised or embossed portions or surfacesfor instance, such as raised flowers and the sprayers may be adjusted to direct-coloringmatter, which may be of different colors, from different angles toward the embossed surfaces. For instance, one color may be blown from one side across the surfaces, while a different color might be blown from the other side across the surfaces, and a different color might be blown vertically on the surfaces, and it is thus possible to produce any number of beautiful blends and combinations of colors.

The operation of the machine will now be readily understood. In Fig. 1 the arrows indicate the direction of rotation of the driving-wheels and cams, and the cam-roller 26 at the end of the arm 24 has just left the con centric portion of the cam 16 to allow the rod 24 to be carried upwardly to actuate the beltadvancing mechanism. The object 53, which is clamped to the endless belt, has just been colored and the roller 17 on the rod 18 has just been released from the concentric portion of the cam 16 to allow the spring 19 to raise the rod 17 to remove the stencil from the object 53. A fresh uncolored object 100- is just being fed to the endless belt, and the dotted lines show its position below the clamping fingers at the left end of the belt. Upon rotation of the cam 16 the rod 24 will be raised until the roller 26 engages the bottom of the concentric portion 17, when the belt will have been advanced a sufficient distance to carry the colored object 53 to the conveyer-belt 48 and to carry the uncolored object 100 into position before the stencil. The object 53 has been released upon engagement of the right-end camrollers 57 with the camways 61, while upon escape of the left-end camrollers 57 from the camways 52 the corresponding clamping-fingers have been carried to clamp the entrance end of the uncolored ob ect 1 O0, and this clamping engagement will be maintained until the camways 61 are reached. After the cam-roller 26 has reached the lower end of the eccentric portion 17 there will be no further motion of the belt, owing to the inactive condition of the belt 37. Shortly after the belt comes to rest the cam-roller 17 will be engaged by the concentric portion of the cam 16 to cause lowering of the rod 17, whereby the stencil is brought into contact with the uncolored object 100, which now is in position thereunder, and thereupon belt cam-rollers 17 and 26 will ride upon the concentric portion of the cam 16, during which period the spraying mechanism will be ac tuated as follows to color the object 100. Shortly after the stencil is brought into engagement with the object the cam 72 will engage the arm 74 to cause actuation of the chain 77 and the raclebar, as before described. The sprayers will be carried toward the left over the object and the camways will cause actuation of the sprayers which direct coloring-matter to the object, and this emission of coloring-matter will continue upon return of the rack-bar and sprayers upon release of the arm 7 4 from the cam 13. After the coloringmatter has thus been applied the main cam 16 will again return to the position shown in Fig. 1, the rod 17 having been released to carry the stencil away from the object, and the rod 24 will now again be actuated to cause further advancement of the objectsupporting belt and of the conveyer-belt and the insertion of another uncolored object below the stencil, 620. Thus I provide an improved machine to which the uncolored obj cots are fed on one end and delivered in a receptacle at the other after having received coloring-matter which has been automatically applied during the passage of the object through the machine.

Many modifications may readily be-made in the mechanical arrangement and adjustment of the various parts without departing from the spirit of invention, and I do not, therefore, wish to be limited to the arrangement and construction as shown.

I claim as new, however, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a color-printing machine, the combination with a supporting-frame, of a table mounted thereon for receiving the objects to be printed, a stencil disposed above said table and normally removed from the object, means for causing engagement of said stencil with the object when said object is in position thereunder, sprayers disposed above the stencil, means for causing reciprocation of the sprayers across the stencil for applying coloring-matter through the stencil to the object, means for removing said stencil from the object after coloring thereof, and means for causing an advancement of said table to carry said object away from said stencil.

2'. In a color-printing machine, the combi nation with a supporting-frame, of an endless supporting-belt mounted thereon for receiving and conveying objects to be printed, a stencil disposed above the belt, means for causing engagement of said stencil with the object when said object has been carried into position thereunder by said belt, sprayers disposed above said stencil, means for causing reciprocation of said sprayers across the stencil to apply coloring-matter to the ob ject, means for raising the stencil from the object after coloring thereof, and means for causing an advancement of said belt to carry the printed object from below the stencil.

3. In a color-printing machine, the combination with a supporting-frame, of an endless belt disposed at the top thereof, means for causing advancement of said endless belt, clamping means associated with said belt for receiving objects to be colored and for retaining them on the belt, a stencil disposed above the belt, means for lowering the stencil into engagement with the object after the object has been brought into position under the stencil upon advancement of said belt, sprayers disposed above the stencil, means for reciproeating the sprayers across the stencil, means for causing activity of the sprayers upon reciprocation to apply coloring-matter to the object through the stencil, means for raising the stencil from the colored object, and means for releasing the object from the clamping means after removal of the stencil, further advancement of the belt causing said object to be removed therefrom.

4. In a color-printing machine, the combination with a supporting-frame, of an endless supporting-belt disposed at the top of the frame, clamping means associated with the belt, means for causing advancements of said belt, means upon such advancement for causing act'uation of the clamping means to clamp an uncolored object to the belt, a stencil disposed above the belt, the advancement of the elt causing the received objects to be conveyed into position under the stencil, means thereupon for causing said stencil to be brought into engagement with the object, sprayers disposed above the stencil, means for causing reciprocation of the sprayers across the stencil to apply coloring-matter thereto, means for thereupon raising the stencil from the colored object, further advancement of the belt causing the object thereon to be released from the clamping means and to be carried from the belt, and a conveyerbelt for receiving the object from the endless belt, said conveyer-belt serving to convey the object to a receptacle.

5. In a color-printing machine, the combination with a sup orting-frame, of an endless belt disposed at t e top thereof and mounted on rollers, a stencil disposed above the endless belt, pawl-and-ratchet mechanism for causing advancement of said belt to carry an uncolored object into position below the stencil, cam mechanism for thereupon causing said stencil to be carried into engagement with the object, sprayers disposed above the object, means for causing actuation of the s rayers to apply coloring-matter through the stencil to the object, means for causing said stencil to be removed from the object after coloring thereof, and conveyer mechanism for receiving the colored object from the endless belt upon further advancement of said belt.

6. In a color-printing machine, the combi nation with a supporting-frame, of an endless belt mounted on rollers at the top thereof, a stencil disposed above said belt, cam mechanism for lowering said stencil into engagement with an uncolored object carried into osition thereunder by said belt, sprayers disposed above said stencil, cam mechanism for causing reciprocation of said sprayers longitudinally across said supporting-frame and said stencil, means for causing actuation of' said sprayers only when passing over said stencil, whereby coloring-matter 1s applied to the object, means thereupon for causlng the stencil to be raised from the colored'object, cam mechanism for causing advancement of the belt to carry the colored object away from the stencil, and conveyer mechanism for receiving the colored object from the belt.

7. In a color-printing machine, the combination with a supporting-frame, of an endless belt mounted on rollers at the top thereof, pawl-and-ratchet mechanism for causing advancement of said belt, clamping means associated with said belt for clamping objects thereto, means upon advancement of said belt for causing actuation of the clamping mechanism to clamp to the belt a received uncolored object, a stencil disposed above the belt, the advancement of said belt serving to carry the clamped received object into position below the stencil, cam mechanism for causing said stencil to be lowered into engagement with the object, sprayers disposed over the stencil, means for causing said sprayers to be reciprocated longitudinally over said belt over said stencil, means for automatically causing actuation of the sprayers only when passing over the stencil whereby coloring-matter is applied to the object, means for raising said stencil from the object after coloring thereof, and means upon further advancement of the belt after coloring of the object for causing actuation of the clamping mechanism to release the object, said object being thereu on conveyed from the belt.

8. In a co or-printing machine, the combination with a supporting-frame, of an endless belt mounted on rollers at the top thereof, pawl-and-ratchet mechanism for causing advancement of said belt, cam mechanism for driving said pawl-and-ratchet mechanism, clamping mechanism associated with the belt, means upon advancement of said belt for causin actuation of the clamping mechanism to 0 amp to the belt an uncolored object received thereby, a stencil disposed above the belt, cam mechanism for lowering the stencil into enga ement with the object received by the belt a ter said object has been carried into position below the stencil, sprayers disposed above the stencil, a frame supporting, said sprayers, cam mechanism for causing reciprocation of said frame with the sprayers across the stencil, cam mechanism for causing actuation of the sprayers only when passing over the stencil, means thereupon for raising the stencil from the colored object, and means upon further advancement of the belt after coloring-of the object for releasing the clamping means therefrom, said clamped object being thereupon conveyed from the belt.

9. In a color-printing machine, the combination with a supporting-frame, of an endless belt at the top thereof, means for causing advancements of said belt, sprayers disposed above the belt, rods extending transversely across said belt provided with clamping-finlIO gers, cam-arms extending. from said rods, and cam-surfaces disposed in the path of said cam-arms to cause release of the clampingfingers from objects to be colored after said objects have been carried through the field of the sprayers.

10. In a color-printing machine, the combination with a supporting-frame, of a supporting-table at the top thereof, means for causin advancements of said table, sprayers disposed above said table, shafts extending transversely across the belt provided with clamping-fingers for clamping objects to be colored to the table, cam-arms extending from said shafts, and cam-surfaces disposed in the paths of said arms, said cam-surfaces engaging said cam-arms to cause release of the clamping-fingers of the object after said object has passed through the field of the sprayers.

11. In a color-printing machine, the com bination with a supporting-table for carrying objects to be colored, means for causing advancements of said table, shafts extending transversely across the table provided with clamping-fingers for clamping objects to be colored and to the table, cam-surfaces disposed in the paths of said arms, sprayers disposed above the belt, one of said cam-surfaces being disposed in advance of the sprayer-field and serving to normally open one set of clamping-fingers, whereby an 0bj ect to be colored may be fed thereunder, advancement of the table causing disengagement of the cam-arm from said cam-surface whereby the received object is clamped to the table, the advancement causing the clamped object to be carried into the field of the sprayers, and means for causing actuation of the sprayers to apply coloring-matter to the object, the other cam-surface being disposed to engage the cam-arm to release the clamping-fingers from the object after coloring thereof.

12. In a color-printing machine, the combination with a supporting-frame, of a stencil disposed above said frame, a conveyer adapted to periodically advance below said stencil to carry objects to be colored thereunder, sprayers disposed above the stencil, means for lowering the stencil to engage an object thereunder, and means for causing operation of the sprayers to apply coloringmatter to the object when engaged by the Y stencil.

18. In a color-printing machine, the com bination with a supporting-frame, of a ver tically-reciprocal stencil, a longitudinallyadvanceable conveyer below said stencil for conveying objects to be colored thereunder, said stencil being lowered into engagement -with an object that has been carriedthere- 

